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可怜 (kě lián) — (adjective) pitiful, pathetic; (verb) to pity, to have pity on

Definition

可怜 focuses on arousing pity for someone — 'pitiful' describes a person/situation, and the verb means 'to feel pity for'. 可惜 is about regretting a loss, not feeling sorry for a person.

adjective
pitifulpathetic
verb
to pityto have pity on

Examples

  • 可怜。
    Nà ge kě lián de qǐ gài chuān zhuó yí jiàn pò yī fu.
    That pitiful beggar is wearing torn clothes.
  • ，可怜。
    Tā kū dé nà me shāng xīn, zhēn kě lián.
    She's crying so sadly, it's really pitiful.
  • 可怜。
    Dà jiā dōu kě lián tā nián jì qīng qīng jiù shī qù le fù mǔ.
    Everyone pities him for losing his parents at such a young age.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

可kěcan/worthy of
怜liánpity

“可” adds a sense of being able or worthy, and “怜” means pity, giving deserving pity.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 憐; 怜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
粦
粦lín憐lián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 憐 combines 心 (heart) with 粦, which gives it its sound; the simplified 怜 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 怜 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsEmotions & Feelings2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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